What is the Capstone Research Requirement?

  • All majors write a capstone paper that provides the opportunity for a sustained and in-depth experience of independent, primary research that can be a "capstone" for their HSOC studies.
  • A capstone paper is a 20+ page original research paper.  

What you need to know about capstones:

  • The capstone requirement can only be fulfilled in one of the last three semesters before graduation, after the first half of junior year.
  • Only a 4000-level HSOC course taken in the last three semesters (Junior spring, or later) before graduation fulfills the Capstone requirement. 
  • 4000-level HSOC and STSC courses taken earlier may not be used as the capstone (though students may take as many 4000-level HSOC or STSC courses in the department as they wish, these can count as department electives or they can be petitioned as concentration electives). 
  • The Capstone Research Course requirement is a distinct part of the major, separate from other requirements, and the course cannot fulfill any other requirement for the major at the same time.